Marker for shoe uppers



9 c. F. EATON 1,969,971

MARKER FOR SHOE UPPERS Filed May 9, 1933 frzverztan (Varies lflatorz, 5 WWW A Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNITED STATES MARKER FOR SHOE UPPERS Charles F. Eaton, West Newbury, Mass, assignor to Perfection Marker Company, Cambridge, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 9, 1933, Serial No. 670,089

6 Claims. (01. 101-28) This invention relates to markers for sheet material and more particularly to marking plates of the type used in applying ornamental patterns, designs and the like to such articles-as Vamps, quarters and shoe upper sections generally.

In the manufacture of sport shoes and the various types of womens footwear it is customary to provide ornamental designs on the uppers to meet the popular demand of the trade. In accordance with the usual practice, the vamps or quarters are stamped out from the blank sheet material and are then disposed in proper registry on a marking plate which is provided with rows of perforating dies, bosses or other means delineating the desired ornamentation, the design being applied by pressing themarking plate against the surface of the upper, either by means of a transfer sheet which prints the design on the surface, or by direct impression, in which case the dies or projections perforate or indent the surface of the upper.

In order properly to position the upper on the marking plate it is desirable to provide guiding pins of the like which are so designed as not to interfere with the proper operation of the beam or head of the press in which the operation is usually carried out. One type of marking plate, answering this purpose, is provided with disappearing pins or stops, such, for example, as are shown in the United States patents to Woodworth, No. 1,733,638 and Lupien, No. 1,689,633. Such plates are not only relatively expensive to construct, but can only be used for one particular style and pattern. The constantly changing styles, particularly in womens shoes, require new or different ornamental designs or patterns for the uppers, and consequently the marking plates become-obsolete after a relatively short period of use. The cost of replacing obsolete plates and the number of replacements necessary in the course of a year amounts to an appreciable sum and constitutes a substantial part of the manufacturing cost of such footwear.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a marking plateof the aforesaid type which is of simple construction and reliable and accurate inoperation, which possesses all the advantageous features of those heretofore used and which may be readily constructed of inexpensive materials ata small fraction 'of the cost of the marking plates now used.

Further objects relate to the construction of my new marking plate and will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and accompanying drawing which shows different embodiments of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration.

In the drawing: Fig. l is a plan view of a marking plate contstructed in accordance with thepresent invenion;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Fig. 1., showing asection of a shoe upper disposed on the face of the marking plate;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a marking plate and shoe upper inserted in a press, the beam or'h'e'ad being shown in contact with the upper to be marked;

f Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view, similar to Fig. 1, showing a marking plate of modified construction; and l Fig. 5 is a section, on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, showing a shoe upper disposed on the face of the marking plate.

Theembodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3 com prises a marking plate 1 which may be of thin metal, such, for example, as galvanized iron, sheet steel, or other suitable material capable of being embossed or otherwise provided with markings which define the desiredpattern, design or ornamentation to be applied to a piece of sheet material, such as a shoe upper or quarter M. As here shown, the marking plate 1 consists of a single piece of sheet metal preferably shaped to conform to the size and shape of the quarter to be marked and is provided with rows of small bosses or projections 2' which may be struck up from its under side, although, if desired, perforating dies or any other suitable type of marking means may be used, it being understood that the particular type of marking means, as well as the design or pattern, may be varied in accordance with thedesired ornamentation to be produced. The marking plate preferably is superposed on a supporting plate 3 of fiber board or like material, and both may be secured to a baseplate 4 by rivets 5 or other suitable means.

In order properly to position the quarters on themarking plate, guiding or positioning members are provided at a plurality of fixed points spaced'irom the markings 2. In accordance with the present invention these gauge members are constructed and arranged to provide portions which overlie or engage the edge portions of the material to be marked and are sufiiciently resilient to be depressed so that their abutting surfaces lie substantially in the plane of the quarter M or material to be marked, or at least do not project to any appreciable extent above the same, when subjected to pressures such as are used to impress or apply the marking to the material to be marked.

As here shown, these positioning members consist of resilient clips 8 each having an upwardly projecting portion 9 engageable with the edge of the quarter M, and a thin inwardly extending lip 10, integral with the portion 9, and arranged to overlie the marking plate 1 so as to engage the margin of the flesh or upwardly exposed side of the quarter M, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. The upright portions 9 and lips 10 are yieldingly supported in spaced relation to the base plate 4 by the end portions 11 which, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, may be bent inwardly and secured in recesses 12 in the supporting plate 3 by the rivets 13. Thus, the positioning clip as a whole is inherently resilient and compressible and capable of being depressed into the plane of the material M by being crushed or flattened under the pressure of the usual press.

If desired, the end portions 11 of the gauge clips may extend outwardly, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and be secured in fixed position by rivets 14 to base plate 4. In either construction the upwardly extending portions 9 and overhanging lips 10 are yieldingly supported and may be depressed, as shown in Fig. 3, so that they do not project to any appreciable extent above the upper surface of the vamp M when subjected to pressure.

In using a marker constructed in accordance with the present invention the material M to be marked is superposed on the exposed surface of the marking plate 1, grain side down, with its edges in engagement with each of the guide members 8 so that the edges of the material M coincide with those of the marking plate 1 and the lips 10 overlie the margin portions of the material, thus holding the margins down flat preventing them from curling upwardly or inwardly. The marking plate and material M are then laid on the work bed 15 of the press P, as shown in Fig. 3, and the head or beam 16, the under side of which preferably is lined with a resilient pad 17 such as rubber or felt, is then brought downwardly upon the material with sufficient force or pressure to effect the desired impression or transfer of the design upon the material.

It will be noted that when the gauge members are depressed their upstanding portions 9 do not project above the upper surface of the ma.- terial M and the lips 10 lie substantially in the plane of the material, and thus do not interfere with the operation of the press. When the head 16 is released the gauge members immediately recover their normal positions, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and the marked material or shoe upper section, may then be stripped from the plate 1. As the lips 10 are preferably relatively thin in comparison with the usual thickness of the material, no visible impression is made thereon, and as the positioning members are sufiiciently spaced from the markings 2, they do not in any way effect the application or transfer of the design.

The terms marker and markings as herein used, unless otherwise limited expressly or by context, are intended to denote any'of the instruments and operations for applying markings, designs or patterns to sheet material, including markings by printing from a transfer sheet which is commonly used as a guide for subsequent stitching, markings by indentation of the surface of the sheet to simulate stitching or to produce other ornamental effects, perforating the sheet by punching holes completely through it, forming limitation perforations which simulate true perforations but are in reality non-perforating indentations, and embossings generally.

While I have shown and described different desirable embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only, and that various changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described, may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A marker for use in applying a design or the like to a piece of sheet material, said marker comprising a plate having on its surface markings defining the design to be applied to the sheet material, and means for positioning the sheet material relative to the markings on said plate, said means consisting of an inherently resilient and compressible member having projecting portions which overhang the margins of said sheet material and hold the same in proper position, said portions being suificiently resilient to be depressed so as to lie substantially in the plane of said sheet material when pressure is applied to said plate.

2. A marker for use in applying a design or the like to a piece of sheet material, said marker comprising a plate having on its surface markings defining the design to be applied to the sheet material, and means for positioning the sheet material relative to the markings on said plate, said means consisting of a plurality of spaced inherently resilient and compressible members each having laterally projecting portions which overlie the margins of a piece of sheet material disposed on the face of said plate, said portions being effective to hold said sheet material in proper position relative to the markings on said plate and being sufficiently resilient to be depressed so as to lie substantially in the plane of said sheet material when pressure is applied to said plate.

3. A marker for use in applying a design or the like to a piece of sheet material, said marker comprising a plate having on its surface markings defining the design to be applied to the sheet material, and means for positioning the sheet material relative to the markings in said plate, said means consisting of a plurality of spaced inherently resilient and compressible members disposed in fixed relation to the markings on said plate, each of said members having an upwardly extending portion provided with a thin overhanging lip engageable with the marginal portion of the sheet material to hold the same in fixed position relative to the markings on said plate, said members being sufficiently resilient to be depressed so that their overhanging lips lie substantially in the plane of said sheet material when pressure is applied thereto.

4. A marker for use in applying a design or the like to a piece of sheet material, said marker comprising a supporting plate, said marking plate having on its exposed surface markings defining the design to be applied to the sheet material, and positioning means consisting of a plurality of resilient clips secured in fixed position relative to the markings on said plate, said clips having upwardly extending portions engageable with the edges of said sheet material to hold the same in fixed position, said clips being sufiiciently resilient to be depressed so that said upwardly extending portions do not project substantially above said sheet material whensubjected to pressure.

5. A marker for use in applying a design or the like to a piece of sheet material, said marker comprising a supporting plate, a marking plate superposed on said supporting plate, said marking plate having on its exposed surface markings defining the design to be applied to the sheet material, and positioning means consisting of a plurality of resilient clips secured in fixed position relative to the markings on said plate, said clips having thin overhanging lips engageable with the margins of said sheet material to hold the same in fixed position, said clips being sufficiently resilient to be depressed so that their lips lie substantially in the plane of said sheet material when pressure is applied thereto.

6. A marker for use in applying a design or the like to a piece of sheet material, said marker comprising a supporting plate, a marking plate superposed on said supporting plate, said marking plate having on its exposed surface markings defining the design to be applied to the sheet material, and positioning means consisting of a plurality of resilient clips secured to said supporting plate, said clips having upwardly projecting portions provided with laterally extending lips engageable with the margins of said sheet material to hold the same in fixed position on said marking plate, said clips being suflioiently resilient to be depressed so that their lips lie substantially in the plane of said sheet material when pressure is applied thereto.

CHARLES F. EATON 

